When a user purchases a new mobile computing device to replace a functioning, but older device, the user typically prefers to “clone” the application and configuration content from the old to the new device. However, there are many challenges that arise in the cloning or migrating process. For example, incompatibilities in software, hardware, security constraints, licenses, etc. between the new and old device can make the process of migration very difficult and time consuming. In certain cases, attempts at a brute-force approach of copying everything from the old to new device can leave the new device partially or wholly non-functional.
In a typical setup of a new device, a user may configure Internet connectivity, add user accounts, establish backup capability, add applications, personalize the device, etc. While “setup wizards” may have reduced some of the complexity of performing these tasks, there is still a need for techniques to allow for device cloning to reduce the complexity and duration of the configuration/migration tasks while allowing for remote storage and re-use of the device's configuration.